Ingredients

Shake the Kahlua, vodka and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into ice-filled mason jar, add ice cream, and top with root beer.

Appetizers

Pretzel Bite Bar

Once you've got the pretzels made the sky's the limit on the sauces your guests can use to customize their pretzels: Regular Mustard...or for the more daring: Stone Ground Mustard Mustard, Hot Mustard, Honey Mustard, Melted Cheese, Mexi-Cheese, CinnaBunz Dip...get creative!

INGREDIENTS

For the pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

2 tbsp butter, melted

Pretzel or Kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the pretzels: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed for 10 seconds. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour and butter. Mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to a well-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an wide 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Slice each rope into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place a lightly damp towel over the pretzel pieces to prevent them from drying out while you roll and cut the other pieces.

Using a slotted spoon lower a handful of the pretzel pieces into the boiling water and boil them for 30 seconds, flipping them around in the water with the spoon a couple of times. Remove the pretzel pieces from the water using the spoon, drain as best you can, and place them on the baking sheets. Brush the top of each pretzel with the melted butter and sprinkle with the pretzel/Kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 10 - 12 minutes. Brush with remaining melted butter before serving. Serve warm.

To make the cheese sauce: In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.

Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps of flour remain. Stirring constantly, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the shredded cheese until all of the cheese has melted. Add a pinch of salt, if needed. Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave on medium power at 30 second intervals.

Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Season meat with salt and pepper. In a small bowl stir together the water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and cumin. Pour over meat in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

What You Need

Make It

Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.

Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls to resemble helmets. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate. Insert pretzel piece into each for the face mask. Place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Decorate helmets using decorating icing with your favorite player's number and small round candies. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Favorite Football Team

Use food coloring to tint melted white chocolate to match the color of your favorite football team.

Makes: 48 servings

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Pick out the biggest, freshest must succulant strawberries your local grocery store has to offer. Grab a couple containers of choclate and a container of white melting choclate from your grocers baking section. Grab a box of tiny plastic ziplock snack bags.

Coming down from all the excitement of the holidays can be a lot for some to take, but Portland event planners have assembled events we feel certain will change the tide of the January Blues. Here's a list of our picks.

Punch Bowl Social has taken over an entire floor of Pioneer Place and transformed it into a 32,000 sqft playground full of booze and bowling. Here are just a few reasons you need to schedule a visit to Punch Bowl Social right now!

Punch Bowl Social is centered around games, and it includes multiple bowling alleys, shuffleboard (the cruise ship kind and the tabletop/sawdust kind), foosball, ping-pong, darts, and pretty much every other game that is designed to be played while holding a beer.

For those who don't want to exert the physicality required to lift an eight-pound ball and calmly roll it down a lane, there's a classic arcade w/ games like X-Men Pinball, Joust, and Donkey Kong, and the crazy-big, four-man Pac-Man.

Shoes, darts, and other excitement are stored in this trippy stand that may or may not be manned by Saddam.

The place has three different bars, including one smack-dab in the middle of a retro diner that has views of the four-story mall, so you can relax while scoping out sales at Forever 21, complete w/ plush couches and a chandelier made of deer antlers.

Chill out and watch football.

This circular bar's located right in the center of the action, making it super-easy to order up a beer in between songs at the place's two private karaoke rooms that no doubt have "What Condition My Condition Is In" on a permanent loop.

All three bars are manned by craft cocktail masters who mix up fresh juice/ booze combos like the Wrong Island Iced Tea, and the Green Russian w/ absinthe, coffee liqueur, and a high probability of sending you to the danger zone.

The kitchen does upscale gastropub goodness like this gravy-smothered plate of chicken & waffles, huge burgers, eggplant enchiladas, and soo much more!

Bowling is a perennial favorite activity for millions of people. From mega-alleys to historic mom-and-pop places, we've gathered up a list of the coolest alleys from coast to coast. It's time to lace up your rental shoes and roll some strikes.

Set in a picture-perfect scene of Willamette River bridges, downtown high rises and forested hills, Grand Central has a quintessential Portland vibe. On the east side of downtown, this cool spot has 12 high-tech lanes featuring plush couches and computerized, giant, HD scoring screens. As it's Portland, Grand Central offers foodie treats such as kung pao chicken, pulled-pork sliders and revved-up mac 'n' cheese dishes. The alley is a quick taxi ride or a refreshing long walk from the Convention Center District and most downtown hotels. Plus, the city's famous light-rail system gets you close, or you can bike there in true “Portlandia” style.

With a wide variety of entertainment options, each visit to Grand Central is a new experience waiting to happen. Bring friends along and see where the mood takes you. Twelve modern lanes feature cozy couches, effortless computerized scoring, and giant HD projection screens for an entertaining and dynamic bowling experience. Try our VIP bowling where you can enjoy private luxury seating and two exclusive bowling lanes.

Hood River welcomes sports enthusiasts in all seasons. In addition to being recognized as the windsurfing capital of the world, Hood River also offers kiteboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, mountain and road biking, hiking, whitewater kayaking and rafting, fishing, and world-class skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. With two ports and two boat basins, the area also serves both commercial as well as recreational boating.

58th Annual Hood River Valley Blossom Festival

Date: April 21-22, 2012 Time: Booths open at 10am

Events include a Blossom Fest Craft Show, Blossom Fest Quilt Show, a farm “pansy party,” a grange blossom dinner, and a fire department all-you-can-eat breakfast. Visitors can also get a real “taste” of the Gorge at several wine and beer-tasting events. Click Here for more details.

The Festival’s main stars—the beautiful pink and white fruit tree blossoms—are best viewed from the comfort of your car. The Blossom Festival tour route is 47 miles long and averages about 1.25 hours. Most of the Hood River Fruit Loop member farms are located on the route and offer special blossom-time activities during this very special weekend.

HOPS FEST

Date: October 6, 2012

Time: Noon-9pm

Location: Between 5th & 7th Streets and Cascade and Columbia Streets in downtown Hood River

On the first Saturday of October, Hood River County Chamber of Commerce hosts a beer lover’s dream when fresh-hopped brews from more than two dozen Northwest craft brewers are on tap. The event showcases Hood River County’s own microbreweries as well as some of the best of the Northwest brewers. Click Here for more detailed information.

HARVEST FEST

Dates: October 19-21, 2012

Times: Friday 1pm-7pmSaturday 10am-7pmSunday 10am-5pm

Location: Hood River Event Site, 110 Portway Avenue

Each fall, Hood River Valley hosts an old-fashioned harvest festival with local produce and food products, arts and crafts, wine- and beer-tastings: all the best our County has to offer. Click Here for more detailed information.

HOOD RIVER HOLIDAYS

Dates: December 2-24, 2011

Join residents in Hood River, Oregon during December for a month of holiday activities!

Shop, eat, wine-taste, stay and play with us throughout the holiday season. Click Here for more details.